Darren Rolfe here from macwingnut.com
When you asked me if I’d be interested in being the MacReviewCast’s App Store Aficionado I jumped at the chance.
But first, I thought I’d give you a bit of feedback about my experience with last Friday’s debacle.
I know several people who are getting an iPhone 3G but as yet they haven’t gotten it! I have also heard some instances of customers reserving an iPhone online for collection in-store, only to be turned away on the day as they didn’t have enough stock.
As for me, I’m currently very happy with my iPod Touch but I think it’s highly likely my wife and I will be purchasing his and hers iPhones in September. I didn’t manage to upgrade my iPod until the Saturday morning, but since then I’ve downloading and dissecting apps on a daily basis.
O.K. down to business. So what’s been getting my fingers tapping this week. One of the very first titles announced that makes full use of the built-in accelerometer and with graphics that I think are comparable to the DS and PSP. Any ideas?
Of course it’s Super Monkey Ball and it’s been at the No. 1 spot since the store launched. Unlikely, but if you are still pondering the purchase don’t hesitate any longer. You take a control of a monkey, who is sealed inside a transparent sphere. You then have to roll him or her (choose between 4 monkeys) around a floating track collecting as many bananas as you can along the way.
This is pretty standard arcade fare. But by exploiting the accelerometer technology Sega have added a whole new dimension to this app. It’s simple, addictive and down right infuriating and apparently there are at least 110 levels! So at only £5.99 UK store and $9.99 US store I think that makes this game excellent value.
If you ever find yourself in the situation where you need to demonstrate the amazing capabilities of your iPod Touch/iPhone without having to fork out any cash, then this is that app. Introducing iPint, developed by Beattie, McGuinness and Bungay. Complete and utterly pointless some of you might argue. But all the same I still think it deserves a mention.
Your challenge is simple, to slide a pint of lager (Wild West style) down a bar to a thirsty recipient at the other end. Avoiding obstacles (olives, peanuts, bar mats etc.) along the way. There are only 3 levels and to be honest I cracked them all pretty quickly. But here’s the cool thing. When you finish the task you are entitled to pour a refreshing pint of your own.
Yes, here comes the “wooooooo” moment. Watch in amazement as your iPhone/iPod Touch magically fills up with a pint of lager. Then simply place the digital receptacle to your lips and tip it back! “Wooooooo” and now it’s empty! iPint is developed by Beattie, McGuinness and Bungay a London based advertising agency. This is the first of, no doubt, many viral marketing applications. Yes product placement does feature very heavily. But credit to BMB they’ve embraced the technology and used it imaginitively. Plus it’s FREE!
Finally, Tap Tap Revenge, developed by: Tapulous.
Out of all the apps I’ve downloaded the last week this is without doubt the one that I have played more than any other. When I’m not playing it, my wife is playing it.
I’m going to call it Guitar Hero for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Well kind of. You have 3 coloured streams (red, blue and green) as the track beats fly down the streams you have to hit the beats with a finger tap.
As you progress through the levels Tap Tap starts throwing in actions as well. Yes, you have to start physically flicking your device to the beat as well. Graphically it’s very nice, but there’s not a lot going on. Also I did find it a bit quiet at times and I couldn’t find any obvious volume control in the game.
There is also a 2 player mode where you can share your device and battle it out against each other. You can create a profile and post your efforts online. I received an email informing me that new tracks are coming soon! And did I mention it also FREE?
Well that’s your lot! I hope you’ve enjoyed my segment all about the “Tapptastic” world of the iTunes App store.
Tags: app store, Apple, apps, iphone, ipod touch, itunes, Mac
Tap Tap Revenge has (as they promised) released the new tracks I mentioned in the review. There are new tracks for every level I think.
This is how you do it…
Launch Tap Tap. You should see a button (fourth down) ‘Download More Tracks’, TAP. Simply decide what level of difficulty you want (easy, medium, hard or ludicrous) TAP, and off you go. So easy!